Addicted Brain, The: Why We Abuse Drugs, Alcohol, and Nicotine

Description

Addiction destroys lives. In The Addicted Brain, leading neuroscientist Michael Kuhar, Ph.D., explains how and why this happens–and presents advances in drug addiction treatment and prevention. Using breathtaking brain imagery and other research, Kuhar shows the powerful, long-term brain changes that drugs can cause, revealing why it can be so difficult for addicts to escape their grip.

Discover why some people are far more susceptible to addiction than others as the author illuminates striking neural similarities between drugs and other pleasures potentially capable of causing abuse or addiction–including alcohol, gambling, sex, caffeine, and even Internet overuse. Kuhar concludes by outlining the 12 characteristics most often associated with successful drug addiction treatment.

Authoritative and easy to understand, The Addicted Brain offers today’s most up-to-date scientific explanation of addiction–and what addicts, their families, and society can do about it.

Table of Contents

Introduction xiChapter 1: What’s in This Book, and Why Should I Read It? 1Chapter 2: Hardwired: What Animals Tell Us About the Human Desire for Drugs 15Chapter 3: Feeling Good: The Brain’s Own Reward System 29Chapter 4: The ABCs of Drug Action in the Brain 39Chapter 5: The Dark Side Develops! 59Chapter 6: Why Are Drugs So Powerful? 73Chapter 7: The Brain Is Changed—For a Long Time! 85Chapter 8: Could I Become an Addict? 99 Chapter 9: Stress, Social Status, and Drugs 115Chapter 10: Gambling, Sex, and Food 127Chapter 11: What Else Do Drugs Do to Me? 137Chapter 12: Women and Adolescents 159Chapter 13: Treatment: How Do I Get Better? 171Chapter 14: What Does the Future Hold? 189Glossary 203Index 211